New Life
by Sakiku
Summary: After the Eve-wars, the Gundam pilots were tried and found guilty of murder in several thousand cases. The sentence: death-penalty. Four are already gone. This is the story of the last one. -Complete-


**New Life**

The Preventer that stoically let himself be searched by the guards was of Asian origin. His face was kept emotionless when he was told to strip and hand over his clothes to be thoroughly checked for any hidden weapons. Not even the indignity of having his body cavities searched in presence of several guards could elicit any reaction; he seemed utterly oblivious to the admiring glances that slid more or less covertly over his wiry body.

His height was nothing to brag about, standing quite short at 5'5". Together with the youthfully round features all Asians possessed, he seemed rather boyish, especially with the short, black hair that fell in every direction.

When he had first demanded to be let in, the security guards at the entrance had thought him to be a high-school student joking around despite his Preventers uniform. But a call to Lady Une had quickly rectified the mistake, and the longer they had watched the boy, the clearer it became that he was indeed who he claimed to be.

There had been some crude jokes behind his back that he had slept with lady Une to gain her favors that quickly when he couldn't be out of school for more than 2 years, but he had overheard the not-so-silent whispering. It had warranted a calm gaze to the guard who had told the joke, and whatever had passed between them during the short seconds of eye contact, it had silenced the man like no threats could have.

Later, when he had been told to strip, more secrets were revealed. The Preventers jacket had peeled away to reveal a body in top physical condition with no ounce of fat. Long, slender muscles were honed down to the wiry chords of a greyhound, speaking of quick strength and endurance. The only thing that marred his youth were the countless scars that crisscrossed his tanned skin in interesting patterns, some of them white and old, some newer ones ranging from a pale pink to an ugly, raw red. They told of a dangerous occupation, which being one of Lady Une's Top Agents definitely was.

Still, the Preventer did not seem to feel all the looks wandering over his slender body. It was disconcerting to see somebody so young behave so at ease standing stark naked in front of several fully clothed men, although his almost inhuman self-control further backed up his story.

Finally, the guard searching him nodded. "He's clean."

Silently, the Preventer dressed in the non-descriptive, utterly white garments handed to him. He was escorted to a tiny concrete room that was separated into two even tinier compartments by a wall of unbreakable Panzer-glass, a single chair that was screwed to the floor in each compartment the only furniture inside the cold, barren walls. Then, he was left alone.

The Preventer's thoughts wandered back to the one time he had sat on the other side of the cubicle, more or less calmly awaiting his fate. He had gone through some changes since then, mainly in his appearance. It was a wonder what a hair cut and some almost invisible facial surgery could do. He was just glad that he had not been that attached to his long hair and that he had no outstanding properties like violet eyes. Wearing colored contacts all the time must be a bitch. Now, there was only one of them left, and tomorrow would be the day the last Gundam Pilot was buried forever.

The door behind the Panzer-glass opened, and two rather tall guards escorted a small, heavily cuffed prisoner into the room, securing him to the chair with a pair of Gundanium handcuffs. Then, the guards stood back, almost to the wall, but they didn't leave the room so that they could keep an eye on the conversation.

Tired, blue eyes almost covered by shaggy, brown hair raised to meet onyx ones through the glass, giving no sign of recognition through the foggy haze clouding them. The calm stare of the Preventer gave the slumped form an intense scrutiny. The small body seemed almost lost in the big, orange jump-suit handed out to all prisoners, his paleness being enhanced by the neon color of the suit. Tousled brown hair hung limply over hollow cheeks, and the thin, bony body spoke of resignation and exhaustion.

Clearing his throat, the Preventer started to talk, his voice being recorded and sent to the other side of the sound-proof wall via electronics. "Heero Yuy, Pilot 01 of the Gundam Wing Zero. You have committed unspeakable crimes during the war, and Justice has finally found you. You are to be executed tomorrow."

At the word justice, the prisoner's eyes suddenly became clear for an instance searching the face of the Preventer opposite him, but when he didn't find what he was looking for, they glazed over once again.

The Preventer continued, silently pleading for the slumped figure to recognize him. "I understand that you are familiar with the concept of dying and that you have been trained for your whole life to accept death. Nonetheless, it is custom that prisoners on death row are given a person of their choice that will accompany them through their last hours. Considering your past and your abilities, the choice has become quite narrow."

The prisoner gave a harsh chuckle with a rough voice that was raspy from disuse, blue eyes not quite piercing through the hair covering them. "And if I just want to die alone?"

The Preventer's eyes narrowed, trying to determine the prisoner's state of mind. 01 was the last one of the Gundam pilots left after the public trials a year ago. When peace had been established after the Mariemeia-incident, a world-wide campaign for disarmament had been started. All MS-factories and suits had been destroyed, soldiers forced to participate in reintegration-programs, and Preventers had become the force that was delegated to keep the peace. Preventers didn't answer to any governments; they were independent and acted in the best interest of earth and the colonies – without having to go through long and tedious bureaucracy.

It had been the Preventers who had seen the rising antagonism against the Gundam pilots. As virtually nothing was known about the pilots, they were great scapegoats. Criminals used their names, virtually all OZ-soldiers blamed them for one or the other thing, and everybody else seemed to find a reason to blame a Gundam pilot for something bad that had happened.

Demands had come to the Preventers that the Gundam pilots finally be found and tried, and the public was quickly sent boiling by a few well-placed words of former OZ-officials. It had been a hard decision, but the pilots had finally decided to come out of hiding to face an impartial jury made up of earth and colony representatives. The outcome had not been utterly unexpected; however, that the vote would be unanimous was something none of them had foreseen. They all had been sentenced to death for their crimes, and 02 through 05 had been quickly executed afterwards because nobody was willing to take the chance of keeping so highly trained terrorists confined.

01 was the only exception, in more ways than one. He was the most prominent Gundam pilot, and the only one whose name was known in public. None of the pilots had given their names, and every search for their face or thumb print had turned up empty. So they had been called by their designations, all except for 01. The queen of the world, Relena Peacecraft, had done her best to try and save him from his fate; and one of her tactics had been to give the court his name to make him seem more human.

All she had accomplished in the end was to delay his execution for more than a year, making him suffer alone as the last Gundam pilot. And the prolonged captivity had clearly eaten at him, as there was absolutely no resemblance left to the hardened killer that had mowed down thousands during the war without batting an eyelash.

Pain spoke from the watery blue eyes gazing drearily at him through the panzer-glass, pain together with the wish to get it finally over with and a sadness he had never seen there before.

The Preventer softened his voice as he denied the prisoner his wish of solitude. "I am afraid I can't allow that. You don't have to talk to the person, you can ignore them all you want, but it is the law that somebody has to be there."

Yes, when he had sat on the opposite side of the window, he had been angry at the people who bloodthirstily called for the death of those who had saved their whole planet not only once or twice, but several times in fact, but he had grudgingly accepted the company they had sent him for his 'last hours' – after several arguments, as was the plan.

Damn that Peacecraft-woman for dragging it out so long. Internally, he kept his fingers crossed that Yuy would remember the plan, but he had the sinking feeling that the depression he so clearly saw was not played at all. They had been bred for battle, Yuy even more so, and they needed the adrenaline surge that only a good fight could provide. The year of forced inactivity, playing the nice little kid locked in a prison cell, must have been hell to survive.

Critically, he eyed the prisoner who seemed pathetically weak, slumping over on the chair he was cuffed to. Finally, the prisoner mumbled something about having understood, and the Preventer continued.

"Well, as I told you, you have only a small choice. If you want a priest, I could call in Father Maxwell."

Thankfully, the reaction he had hoped for came, but it was so minute that an observer would not pick up on it. Getting excited that 01 finally seemed to pay attention, he strained to keep his voice even. "Or it could be me who stays with you. Sorry, but those two are your choices."

The tired eyes lifted once again to meet onyx ones, and for the first time, there was a spark of recognition in them. Slowly, the prisoner spoke, assuaging all his fears in a huge drop of relief. "I am not a … Christian … I would prefer to meditate … alone."

The Preventer forced himself to frown although he was internally trembling from joy that Yuy remembered. "I already told you that you are not allowed to be alone. But as Father Maxwell is rather … talkative … , you will have to bear my company. If you wish, we can meditate together."

Hazy, blue eyes full of sadness looked up as the prisoner hesitantly nodded. Calm onyx ones met them, and an understanding passed between them, activating a lost remnant of the silent rapport they'd had during the war.

Then, the contact broke and the Preventer got up. "I will see if I can organize a room more suitable for meditation."

The prisoner silently watched as the Asian man in the white garments left, having a strange expression on his face that the two guards who unshackled him from the chair could not determine. Having watched their conversation, the guards knew where to guide their charge, although they wondered why a killer would choose to meditate with a Preventer officer.

On the other hand, if they had not known that their prisoner was 01, Gundam pilot and soldier extraordinaire, they would never have thought this slender and harmless boy to be a murderer. During all the time spent in prison, he had never struggled against any manhandling or protested against being chained so thoroughly, and he had never shown the abilities he had displayed in the two wars, not even once.

The long hallways of the high-security prison stretched seemingly forever as the Preventer guided them through the maze as if he had been born in it. Finally, he stopped in front of a door, motioning for the guards to open it. Behind the steel-enforced double-lock paired with two bolts, a monotonously grey cube with a table and a few chairs unfolded. The Preventer strode in as if he owned the room, checking out all corners before nodding to the two guards.

They led the prisoner into the room, closing the door behind them to cut off all potential escape routes. Making sure their charge was cuffed securely to a chair in the small recreation cubicle, they turned around to leave. Before they could open the door though, a calm voice stopped them.

"Unlock his handcuffs."

Startled, the guards exchanged a glance. The taller one looked towards the Preventer who had issued the order. "But, Sir, …"

He was interrupted. "No buts. Why do you think I was sent here? I both have the security clearance and the training to handle an unrestrained 01. I think at least his last hours should give him some sense of freedom. You can leave me the keys to his handcuffs and lock us in if you wish."

Hesitantly, the guards looked at each other, then at the two men seated on the chairs. The Preventer agent looked calm, composed and completely in control of the situation. He exuded an air of confidence that was enhanced by the physical fitness of his body and his straight but relaxed posture.

The prisoner on the other hand looked pathetic, having slumped over in the chair like a lifeless rag doll. Absently, they wondered whether he would slip from the stool if he was unshackled. His whole demeanor spoke of soul deep depression, and he was as far from battle-ready as a person could be. Both of the guards came to the conclusion that even if 01 drew up the will to try something, the Preventer would easily overwhelm him.

Although having reasoned it out, the taller guard was still a little bit uncomfortable removing one small key from his jingling key ring and tossing it to the Preventer who caught it with ease. The smaller one set the conditions. "As soon as you want leave this room, the cuffs will go on again. Before that, the door won't open."

The Preventer nodded slightly, and the guards felt his stare on their backs until they were outside. Only when the door was locked twice did they breathe easier again.

"Do you think the Preventer is insane?", the smaller one asked.

The other one merely shrugged and left for the control room to watch the monitors fed by the camera in the room where 01 was currently alone with the Preventer. "You've been guarding 01 as long as I. Do you really think he is capable of hurting the Preventer?"

The door to the control room closed behind them with an audible click, shutting out all illumination except for the fluorescent light provided by the flickering monitors. The taller guard drew a chair up to the screen showing their charge and heavily plopped down, making the chair creak and whine in protest.

Through all the noise, he almost overheard the question of his partner, but when it reached his ears, he didn't know what to say.

"If you are convinced of 01's harmlessness, then why are you watching them so closely?"

* * *

Hours passed and nothing happened. It was becoming increasingly boring watching 01 and the Preventer sit with crossed legs on the floor. Both were as still as statues, and no words were spoken. It was amazing how fast 01 had taken a liking to the Preventer, but then, with 01, you could never exactly tell. When they had seen him for the first time after the trials, he had already been quite apathetic, being a depressed, slouching teen-ager instead of the highly alert terrorist they had expected. And 01 never let any animosity or fondness of people show on his small frame.

On the other hand, something with 01's posture seemed off today. The taller guard studied his prisoner carefully, looking closely for anything that was different now. No, nothing had changed, 01 was still the exact mirror image of the Preventer who sat still as a statue, letting absolutely nothing bother him.

Then, suddenly, the guard's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he called to his smaller companion. "Ted, come here for a sec, you got to see this!"

Grumpy for having been disturbed while reading his favorite porn magazine, the other guard looked over his partner's shoulder. When he didn't see anything, he grouched: "What's the matter? They're still paying Buddha, so why did ya call me? As excited as you were, you'd think they were at least heavily making out!"

The taller guard rolled his eyes, already knowing the antics of his partner in and out. "I swear, sex is all you can think of. No, I mean, look at him. Does he look like the depressed, harmless boy that follows us like a lost dog whenever we've got to relocate him?"

Ted looked at him funnily and shrugged. "I think you're seeing ghosts. Why the hell should he suddenly be different when posing as a statue? I think you've been watching them too long, let me take the next few hours so that you don't turn completely nutters."

His partner merely shook his head, but he vacated his seat, and after shoving away all the porn magazines that almost buried the only other chair in the room, he sat down again, muttering: "I don't care what you think, there IS something different about him. Just be sure you call me when anything changes, and I really mean ANYTHING."

"Yes, nanny Joe."

* * *

Some more hours passed, but none of them moved. Finally, the Preventer got up in one fluid move that was so sudden as if he had heard some signal. Ted was startled out of the daze he had fallen into while watching the still picture for hours; however, before he could call out to Joe, the Preventer had already handcuffed 01, who gave no sign of being surprised by the sudden motion. He merely got up as fluidly as the Preventer at an almost imperceptible touch at his arm, and the guard wondered how they could still be so limber after hours of not moving at all.

Turning around in his chair, he opened his mouth to tell his partner about the events in the room, but instead, he asked alarmed. "Joe?"

As no answer came and the control room was obviously empty, he activated the com-link that operated on a frequency all guards listened to. "Does anyone know where Joe is?"

A motion seen from the corner of his eyes made him swivel around once again to stare at the screen that was watching 01. He barely heard his partner's distorted voice telling him through the com-link that he was currently in the restroom as he watched the amazing display.

Both of their faces were heavily concentrated as they stood opposite each other. The tension between them was palpable, two … warriors … facing each other, and not necessarily in a friendly way. That was not the prisoner he knew anymore. Down there was 01, the Gundam Pilot, and for once, he felt a shudder run down his back. He could easily believe that this person had killed remorselessly, and the Preventer opposite him displayed a similar change of character.

So far, Ted had had doubts whether the Preventer had any experience in combat, but this was a war-hardened soldier despite his age.

"Told you that there was something different!"

At the sudden voice, Ted almost had a heart attack and was ready to deck his companion because of the scare he had given him.

Joe stumbled backwards, hands raised defensively. "Hey, hey, hey, instead of hitting me, we should better go down there and see that they don't stare each other to death!"

* * *

The Preventer looked at the figure standing opposite him. Yuy was standing tall and proud, like he had done during the war, but it was clearly visible to his trained eye that Yuy was by far not as strong and fast anymore. Would this deterioration also extend to his mind? The hours of meditation had helped tremendously, at least his eyes were clear now, but could Yuy keep up the immense concentration he needed for the plan to succeed?

His internal clock told him that they had no more than 14 hours left until the execution. It was entirely too short to do more than reactivating what was left, and if that wasn't enough … well, he would find another way. Somehow.

The blue eyes that had gotten their focus back during the hours of meditation lost it as soon as keys turning in the lock were heard, and Yuy suddenly reverted to the harmless child he had been before. His mind reeling, the Preventer let go of his own soldier's instincts and slipped back into the calm mask he had worn so far, although his insides were jumbled in a knot. What the hell…?

The door sprang open, and the two guards carefully stepped in as if they feared a violent battle, hands on their guns. The Preventer smirked internally. Two and a half minutes. If there had been any hostile behavior of either Yuy or himself, the other would at least be heavily injured by now. And if it had been any other person pitted against Yuy, they would have been dead after the first few seconds. But he wouldn't have agreed on letting somebody alone with 01 without any guards in the first place.

He watched he guards looking terribly confused because of the unexpected docility of their prisoner, and he himself was confused, too, albeit for a slightly different reason. So fast and so complete had the change been that it bordered on a miracle. But the Perfect Soldier was nothing if not perfect, so maybe…

The Preventer was watching 01 as he obediently followed the guards that brought him back to his cell on his own request. All of his body spoke of harmless youth, the lowered head of unawareness, the slumped shoulders of depression. There was absolutely no tension in the strong back, making him seem smaller and younger than he actually was.

Finally, they were at the cell, and Heero Yuy was more or less gently pushed in. When the Preventer demanded to be admitted into the cell, too, the guards merely shook their heads. "I don't think so. I don't want to have a repeat performance of whatever the two of you were doing in the room, so either you stay out here, or you leave."

The Preventer engaged the taller guard in a staring contest, each one trying to make the other back down, and Ted watched in concern. It was not every day that someone could stand up to Joe, especially not somebody so young. He hated to admit it so freely, but his companion could be downright scary if he wanted to. The Preventer with his calm attitude though seemed to be utterly unfazed by Joe's stare, and that was something Ted had never seen before.

A small sound interrupted the contest of wills, and everybody turned to 01. As if he had just realized that all the attention was concentrated on him, 01 lowered his head and looked to the ground. Ted felt something akin to sympathy for the small, shy youth who was to be executed tomorrow. His personal opinion was there was no way in hell that that could have been Pilot 01, and he seriouslydoubted that the depressed boy in front of them was a mass murderer. Usually, he was quite adept at not developing emotions towards a prisoner, especially death-row prisoners, but this case was somehow different. Perhaps because he knew that the boy had never stood a chance in front of the jury determined to kill all Gundam Pilots.

Well, tomorrow, it would be over, and the first thing he would do was take a vacation, a long nice vacation.

Calmly, he asked 01 why he didn't repeat what he said. Not looking at anybody, the prisoner mumbled: "Stop fighting, please, I'm not worth it. I just… want to be … alone…"

Ted watched as the Preventer stared some more at the prisoner, then lowered himself to the cold floor, leaning against the bars of the empty prison cell opposite of 01. Shaking his head in disbelief, Ted looked at Joe, and their eyes met. Joe seemed exasperated, shrugging his shoulders at the stubbornness he was confronted with. Unlocking the door of the empty prisoner cell, he sarcastically commented that prisoner beds were still warmer and softer than concrete floors.

For the first time, something like a smile seemed to tug at the corners of the Preventer's lips, but it was gone all too soon when he turned around to move into the cell. Closing, but not locking the door, Joe shook his head at the Preventer voluntarily spending a night on an admittedly quite uncomfortable prison cot. "Well then, have a good night the two of you."

Together, the two guards left, finally being allowed to end their shift. The night shift would watch the Preventer and the prisoner, but the execution at 1 pm tomorrow fell into their time again. It was not the first execution they had seen; first participating in the cruel war between earth and the colonies, and then getting a job in a maximum-security prison for death penalty candidates had made death a daily part of life. However, never had the victim seemed so young and innocent before, and that ate at Joe. Heero Yuy had been utterly amiable during his year-long captivity, and despite all their training, Ted and Joe had taken a liking to the boy. It would be hard for them watching Yuy die tomorrow, and they had already filed a request for an extra long vacation – independently, without telling each other as to not seem overly sentimental. But they could dearly use a few weeks off.

* * *

"Do you think you are sufficiently prepared?"

No answer came forth, and that was an answer in itself. The Preventer sighed, looking through the bars at Yuy who was currently lying on the bunk, absolutely still. "You know,…"

"No," the Preventer was interrupted mid-sentence. "No, don't finish what you were saying. Tomorrow, it will all come to an end. There is nothing you can do, I will wait no longer."

A grave nod from the Preventer. He had been quite certain that 01 would not accept the offer, but Yuy had changed so much… though perhaps, he had not changed at all, perhaps it was merely a feature of the Perfect Soldier he had not encountered before. He certainly hoped so.

* * *

Earlier this morning, at 11 am, they had asked Yuy what he would prefer as his last meal, but the prisoner had silently shaken his head. When prompted for an answer, he had said that dying on a full stomach was no easier than dying on an empty stomach, only more expensive. Nobody had paid attention to the small smile playing on the Preventer's face when he had watched the astonished reaction of the guards. Count on Yuy to think logically to the last minute.

The two guards, the same two as the night before, had looked at each other, and then the smaller had asked if Yuy wanted something else instead. At first, 01 had looked away, then down to the floor, fidgeting uncomfortably in a masterful play of shyness. If the Preventer hadn't known that the Gundam Pilot had never been shy, he wouldn't have doubted the hesitation with which the request was made.

Snapping out of the memory, the Preventer slowly moved his gaze away from the small figure strapped to a padded metallic chair meant for taller and heavier men to the clock ticking the seconds away right above the head of the prisoner. Eight minutes and 32 seconds left.

The prisoner's last wish had even surprised the Preventer, although it should not have. It had been a risky undertaking from the beginning, and after Queen Peacecraft's year-long delay of the matter, all bets were off. Yuy wanted to make sure that if it came to the worst, he would die by the hands of somebody who had understood him; at least that was what the Preventer had deduced from the half stammered, half choked sentence. He didn't know what the guards thought, perhaps some kind of revenge on the legal system, or something to the likes of it. It didn't matter; it made him strangely comfortable to know that he would be right next to 01 if 01's concentration lapsed enough to make the plan fail. That was why he was standing there at the moment, holding a syringe filled with some colorless liquid.

The seconds were still ticking away, one by one. Six minutes, 39 seconds. 38. 37.

The prisoner had chosen to look his executor in the eye, refusing any kind of blindfold, another oddity making the guards more uncomfortable, but reassuringly familiar to the Preventer. Yuy always met death head on.

At a motion to his right, 01's eyes turned to look at the person coming closer with a few wires in their hands. With a sure hand, the doctor, a woman in her late twenties, attached the cables of a heart monitor to his chest. Soon, a slow and steady beeping filled the room, causing the medic to frown and check the equipment several times before finally resorting to the old-fashioned method of laying index and middle finger over the pilot's pulse points, first at his wrist, then at his throat. Shaking her head in disbelief at the facts, the doctor stood back once again at an almost inaudible request of the Preventer.

His calmness was eerie; 01 was neither sobbing nor pleading nor raging nor doing anything else the two guards had seen prisoners do during the last few minutes when everything came to a head.

And they did not envy the Preventer his task. Killing a human being was always difficult; however, you could get used to it. But killing somebody in cold blood, while the victim was looking into your eyes and you didn't have the protection of being insane yourself, that was…

For Joe, that meant that either the Preventer hated 01's guts so much that he was looking forwards to killing him; that the agent was really as young as he looked and had no clue what he was doing; or that it was his own unique way of showing 01 the appreciation he held for the last Gundam Pilot …

Admittedly, judging from his mature behavior, the second possibility was quite far-fetched, and the Preventer just didn't seem to be one to hate so much, so that left only chance no. 3.

Suddenly feeling more than uncomfortable, Joe looked away from the calm pair in the center of the room. Both were so young, not even having reached the age of majority, but nonetheless wearing old souls. Thankfully, there was no observation window through which the execution was being monitored. All was recorded by cameras and sent to a TV screen in another room, sparing them the huge one-way mirror that would force them to look at themselves in the big glass panes, knowing that there were others behind it who would start cheering as soon as the monitor flat-lined.

The steady beeping was as regular as the clock ticking, one beep per second, no hitches, no accelerations caused by adrenaline. Silently, Joe was wondering how 01 could stay so calm that not even his heart beat was affected. But then, if the boy had really been through the war, he must have seen so many life-threatening situations that it had turned to the ordinary. Shuddering, Joe did not want to imagine what that had meant for the Gundam pilots' lives.

The last minute had begun. The tension in the room rose, but neither the Preventer nor 01 seemed to care. Joe's eyes were almost magically drawn to the bound pilot, grazing over the slender body that would all too soon be cold and stiff with death. To his amazement, 01 was directly looking at him with steady, blue eyes, and for the first time during the long time Joe had been guarding him, the pilot smiled. It was no more than a small tug at the corners of his mouth, but together with the whispered 'thank you', Joe had to fight to not let his emotions rise to his eyes.

Before he could think of a suitable response though, a cold voice chilled the room through loudspeakers that were activated with a fine buzz of static.

"For his crimes against humanity, for cold-blooded murder of thousands and life-threatening injuries to thousands more, Heero Yuy, Gundam Pilot 01, has been sentenced to death by lethal injection. Proceed."

At the mentioning of his name, 01's heart monitor skipped a beat, then continued as regular as before, albeit at a slightly faster pace. Strange that they had only listed all the atrocities 01 had committed. No word had been lost about all the people that had been saved by his suicidal dive into earth atmosphere to blow up the last piece of the Libra. But then, the bad is always remembered longer than the good.

Turning his back to the camera, the Preventer searched for the place where the blood vessels in 01's elbow came closest to the surface. Joe watched as he quickly inserted the syringe with an ease that spoke of years of practice, and then met the pilot's eyes while he slowly pushed the toxin into his veins.

As quickly as it had been inserted the syringe was drawn away, and the waiting began. From the sidelines, Joe had a clear field of vision, and it made him swallow heavily. Definitely time for a vacation.

The very same hand that had injected the poison was now resting slightly over 01's hand, caressing it slowly, eyes never breaking sight contact. Gradually, the beeping of the heart monitor grew more fatigued, the boy's respiration more labored, and his eyelids were starting to droop. A whisper so quiet that Joe was not sure if he had heard correctly floated over 01's lips.

"Take… care… of them…"

The Preventer though seemed to have no problems understanding. "I will."

A small smile spreading over the young face that quickly became relaxed in unconsciousness was the only sign that 01 had heard and understood.

A short beep.

An almost invisible rising of the chest.

Several seconds later another beep that slowly degraded to an annoying continuous tone, signaling that the young heart had finally ceased its work.

The doctor stepped closer, inspecting the fingernails that were already turning blue and the pupils that failed to react to a direct beam of light. Then she looked at the Preventer who was still staring down at the pilot and disconnected the heart monitor.

Giving the cooling hand a last pet, the Preventer turned around to face the camera, utterly composed.

"Today, on January 3rd 198, Heero Yuy, pilot 01 of Gundam Wing Zero, has died for his crimes at 1:04 pm. Justice has been served."

Then, he left the room in controlled, quietly measured strides. Stepping towards the chair, Joe and Ted quickly unstrapped the body, placing it on a gurney already waiting nearby. Just before the sterile green shroud covered the body, Joe thought he had seen the blue fingernails turning slightly pink again, but he shook his head. He was clearly letting his emotions rule.

Perhaps a vacation was not enough. Perhaps it was time to change jobs; it was no good to get so attached to death-row prisoners.

They waited until the body was wheeled away by the doctor, then they, too, turned towards the door. A quick command into the panel outside the room made the lights wink out, leaving the metallic chair gleaming coldly in the harsh light from the hallway. Then, the door slid shut, pitching the whole room in utter blackness - until the next execution.

* * *

A year later found Joe and Ted applying for Preventers after several jobs as bodyguards. Together with a group of young, excited students fresh from college, they wanted to give it a go at being agents for one of the most famous police forces in the world and the colonies.

They had already passed the written exams and were now waiting for the next step in a room somewhere in Preventer Headquarters in Brussels. No chairs had been provided, and the room lacked all decorations except for a huge TV screen covering almost the whole wall on the short side opposite the door. One overly enthusiastic student proclaimed quite loudly that he had seen similar tests before, and that they were designed to study their behavior. Promptly, all students who had overheard started talking quite amiably with their neighbors, trying to display themselves as socially competent. There were only few exceptions, Joe and Ted amongst them, partially because they were by far the oldest in the group, partially because no student dared approach them.

The door opened and all eyes turned towards the two Asian men that were roughly the same height. Nervous silence filled the room, everybody watching the slightly smaller one close the door behind them. Joe exchanged a look with Ted as a quick study revealed him to be the Preventer who had executed 01 nearly a year ago, and the other one seemed somehow familiar, too.

"Sorry," the Preventer said, never indicating that he was a Top Agent or otherwise employed by the Preventers.

When the students realized that the two wore no uniforms and were even younger than them, they came to the overly quick conclusion that those were candidates, too, and they started chattering nervously once again.

Joe and Ted though watched calmly as the new pair slowly made its way through the room towards them. They wondered how nobody saw the way the two threaded themselves through the crowd, never actually touching anybody, never loosing connection to their center of gravity. So the other one probably was the Preventer's partner, which placed him as another Top Agent.

Coming to stand next to the two guards, the Preventer inquired calmly, his voice as even as Joe had come to know him: "Would you please follow us?"

A screen in one corner flickered to life, showing a picture of Lady Une who gave a warm welcome to the waiting crowd. All students focused their attention on the speech, so it was no problem for the two Preventers and the two guards to leave the room. Once the door was shut again, Joe couldn't help himself any longer.

He addressed the unknown Preventer. "I am sorry, but do I know you? You seem awfully familiar."

A pair of cold, black orbs studied him critically, showing no visible reaction. Finally, a surprisingly deep voice answered. "I don't think we have met. But you know Agent Wu. He told me you have met about a year ago."

Ted cleared his throat. "Indeed we have. Why are we here?"

"Lady Une was hoping that you would join the training to become part of an elite troop of agents who go after terrorists and the really hard-core criminals. You certainly have enough experience, both in teamwork and solo missions. It should be reasonably easy for you to pass the special training, but it is mandatory that you go through it before joining the ranks of Top agents. Do you accept?"

Exchanging a quick glance between them, Joe and Ted didn't hesitate for more than a few seconds and nodded. If all normal agents were as green as those college students they had left behind, it would be a heart-wrenchingly miserable life. They had come to make a difference, to help keep the peace, not to fulfill some dreams of an interesting life because they were dying from boredom. And becoming Top Agents would certainly help.

They had meanwhile arrived in a plain room that looked like an anteroom to an important person's office. There were several shelves filled with files and papers of all kind, a lone picture of some mashed potatoes or a field of flowers; whatever that piece of modern art wanted to show, it was bright and brought a sunny yellow into the cold room. But most of it was filled by a desk with a middle-aged brunette secretary behind it. Agent Wu addressed her curtly.

"These two are new candidates for the Top program. Get their formalities done, then send them to room 537."

Turning towards Joe and Ted, the Preventers nodded a good bye, both of them heading towards the door that presumably led to the office of the important person. To their surprise, it was an elevator that was hidden behind all the woodwork.

Staring after them, Joe was once more overcome by a strange feeling of familiarity, but he quickly shook it off and faced the secretary who was gushing excitedly. "Wow, you are two lucky dogs! Your first day here, and you already got to know our best team! You know, there are rumors that they were Gundam pilots during the war, and it's really a shame that all the pilots have been killed. I mean, if the two of them are so good, how good would the Gundam pilots have been? Well, the milk has been spilt, your names please?"

While doing the formalities like insurance, medical coverage etc., the secretary was prattling on and on, but Joe was listening only halfway.

" … so, now take the elevator to the fifth floor, head down the left hallway, and then you should find 537 on the right side. You can't miss it, there are big numbers on the doors."

Nodding absently, Joe turned towards the secretary. "Just out of curiosity, who was the guy with Agent Wu?"

The secretary shook her head pityingly. "Well, the two of them are just a tad antisocial. I take it that they didn't even take the time to introduce themselves? The one who was talking to me was Chang Wu, the other one Odin Lowe. Now, if you can't find 537, just ask somebody or come back down here. I wish you two good luck!"

Odin Lowe. Testing the name on his tongue, Joe shook his head. No, he had never met an Odin Lowe judging from the unfamiliarity of the sound.

Perhaps it was because Lowe looked so similar to Wu, although Lowe probably had some Caucasian ancestors in his history, making his features somewhat sharper and not as pronouncedly Asian. Perhaps it also was the way he moved that reminded him of Wu or somebody else. Well, he'd had such cases of déjà vu before, so nothing to worry about.

Hearing Ted thank the secretary, he turned around and headed towards the elevator, his partner following immediately behind. What a pity that the Gundam pilots were dead.


End file.
